No guests, no turnover: Bavaria's hotels have been closed for five months.
The association speaks of a dramatic situation - and calls for an opening perspective.
Bad Wiessee
- When Simone Schnorr had to close her two hotels in Bad Wiessee (Miesbach district) on November 2nd of last year, she was sure: we will open again by Christmas at the latest.
"Never," she says today, "I could have imagined that five months later we would still not be able to receive any holiday guests."
95 percent less sales, every month since the lockdown * in November - that is the bitter balance of the hotel manager from Tegernsee.
“I had to take out a loan, otherwise I wouldn't make it,” she says.
Every additional day at standstill makes the situation more threatening.
"The worst thing is that we have no perspective as to when we can open." In the opening scenarios of the politicians, the industry is no longer even mentioned.
“I feel forgotten,” says Schnorr.
Corona lockdown: Dehoga classifies the situation in the industry as "dramatic"
The hotel and catering industry, with around 450,000 employees in Bavaria, is one of the sectors that are particularly affected by the measures.
“We are the first to be closed and the last to be allowed to open,” says Thomas Geppert, state manager of the hotel and restaurant association Dehoga Bayern.
The unsuccessful breakwater in November showed that neither hotels nor restaurants are pandemic drivers.
Geppert describes the situation in the industry as "dramatic".
In a survey by the association, the participants reported an 82 percent drop in sales in February compared to the same month last year, and almost 70 percent of entrepreneurs fear for their existence.
“We are approaching a disaster,” says Geppert.
And then there is Mallorca.
A week ago the Foreign Office lifted the travel warning for the Balearic Islands, thousands of Germans have already booked flights.
“Mallorca is a slap in the face,” says Geppert.
“Germans are allowed to go on holiday abroad at Easter, while domestic establishments with safe hygiene concepts do not even allow outdoor catering.
I lack any understanding. "
Corona: Hotel manager Albrecht - "I almost cried when I heard the news from Mallorca"
"Honestly, I almost cried when I heard the news from Mallorca," says Theresa Albrecht, hotel manager from Rohrdorf (Rosenheim district).
Actually, she says, she should have hired workers for the season long ago.
“But what should I tell them?
We start in April?
In May?
Or in June? ”She and her husband were currently living on savings that were actually intended for retirement provision.
“But they will also be used up at some point,” says Albrecht.
She'd rather open her hotel today than tomorrow.
“Our hygiene concept worked wonderfully over the summer.
So why shouldn't it work now, in times of available rapid tests and room ventilation devices? "
"Today we expect a clear opening perspective from the Prime Minister's Conference," says Geppert.
"The opening at Easter in particular would also make a valuable contribution to containing the pandemic *." After all, there will not only be evasive movements abroad, but also visits to relatives.
“The question now is whether these can take place in a company with a functioning hygiene concept.
Or not."
Today the Prime Ministers are meeting for a conference, which will also be about the Easter holiday.
While states such as Saxony-Anhalt or Rhineland-Palatinate are holding out the prospect of relaxing holiday apartments or outdoor catering, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) wants to enforce a "hard emergency brake".
The hospitality industry does not want to accept this.
More than 1200 entrepreneurs wrote letters of protest to Söder.
Theresa Albrecht and Simone Schnorr took part in the campaign.
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